Non-refillable bottle.



UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 1904.

' GEORGE G. Ross, OE HAZEL, WASHINGTON.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,959, dated July 12, 1904. Application led October 16, 1903. Serial No. 177,288. (No model.)

To @Z whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, GEORGE G. Ross, a subject oi' the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Hazel, in the county of' Snohomish and State of Vashington, have invented a new and Improved Non-Refillable Bottle, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention has for its object to provide novel details of construction for bottles used to put up for sale certain quantities of a vendable liquid-such, for example, as a popular brand of whisky or the like-which will prevent the refilling in part or entirely of the bottle when emptied, and thus prevent adulteration of the liquor or substitution of an inferior kind for that originally held in the bottle.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side View of the improved non-rellable bottle. Fig. 2 is a similar view on'the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, showing the bottle inverted and supported for removal of part of the contents. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a thimble that is a' detail of the invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of' a conii'orm valve employed. Fig. 5 is a side view of a sealing-plug that protects the valve and is securable in the wall of the bottle-neck. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the sealing-plug, and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 7 7 in Fig. 1.

In the drawings which illustrate the construction and operation of the invention, 10 indicates the body of a bottle that is cylindrical and of any desired capacity, said body having a neck 1l of a special form and a bottom 12, which is originally separate from the body l0, but is securable therein, as will presently be explained. The integral wall of the bottle-neck ll is circular and is cylindrical in its body for a suitable distance from the pouring lip or opening ce, defined at a', from which point the neck is contracted to give it coniform shape, that terminates at a2, where the neck is united with the dome-like upper wall 10, which is integral with the body 10. A thimble 13, preferably formed of glass, is provided, said thimble being coniform interiorly, and at a point between its ends a circumferential flange Z) is formed on the outer surface, the portion of the thimble below the flangeb tapering slightly to receive a packingring 13a, formed of rubber or other suitable material, and it will be seen that the iiange by contact with the wall of the neck will deline the distance that the thimble may be forced downward therein, whereby the lower end of said thimble is held at the point where the neck merges into the top wall lO.

A coniform valve 14, formed of glass or other available material, is fitted to seat liquid-tight in the thimble 13, and upon the upper end of' the valve a nipple c is formed, that receives the lower end 'of a coiled spring l5, which is thus held upright. A sealing-plug 16, formed of glass or other suitable material, is provided, the side wall of' which is shaped to fit closely into the upper portion of the coniform part of the bottleneck and also in the cylindrical portion thereof immediately above said coniorm formation. Centrally in the normal lower end of the sealing-plug 16 a recess Z is formed, wherein the spring l5 is contained and has contact with the bottom wall thereof, the spring being somewhat compressed when the plug' is fully inserted within the bottle-neck.

A V-shaped locking-dog 17 is preferably furnished to hold the sealing-plug in fully-depressed condition within the bottle-neck 11, this dog being formed of resilient wire of proper gage, and upon one limb a toe e is bent outward, the limb having the toe being embedded in the material composing the plug, so that the other limb will incline outward and toward the upper end OI' the plug.

In a lateral enlargement that thickens the side wall of the neck l1 at a proper point an indentation is provided that affords a hori- Zontal locking-shoulder f, and it will be seen in Fig. 1 that the free limb of' the dog 17 will be compressed by its contact with the side wall of the bottle-neck when the plug 16 is IOO inserted therein; but when said limb is disposed opposite the indentation it will resume normal projection and engage with the shoulder f, thus positively locking the plug in the neck 11. rlhe lower end of the recess (Z is preferably widened, so as to receive the upper end of the thimble 13, whcreon the plug' presses, which insures the formation of a liquid-tight joint between the packing-ring' and the side wall of the bottle-neck 11.

A sufcient space is afforded above the plug 16 for the accommodation of a cork A, that will prevent the escape of liquid, the plug having one or more channels /L formed in its side wall to permit liquid to pass from the bottle-body therethrough when the bottle is inverted and pressure is imposed on the liquid contents, as will be described. r1`he wall of the cylindrical body 10 is rendered true interiorly and of equal diameter, and in it a plunger-block 18 is iitted loosely, said block 'being peripherally reduced at and near one end to form a rabbet i, defined in length by the shoulder 7c. In the reduced body portion of the plunger-block that projects above the lshoulder 7:; an annular channel m is formed,

at a point near the upper end thereof, and in the rabbet and channel a joint-ring 19, of cork or other slightly-elastic material, is fitted, the diameter of the joint-ring being so proportioned that said ring will slide in the bottlebody from one end to the other, and thus form a movable plunger for pressure on the contents of the bottle. Aconcavity a is formed in the lower side of the plunger-block 18, and at the center thereof a socket-like perforation o is formed, that extends from the lower side to a point near the upper side of the block, and at the lower end of the socket 0 the corner of its defining wall is removed. rlhe plungerblock 18 may with advantage be formedv of glass and in service is utilized asa movable bottom for the bottle. v

A fixed bottom piece is provided to lill up the lower end of the bottle-body 10 and consists of a preferably glass block that for a portion of its length considered from the lower end is cylindrical in contour, and said portion 20 is closely fitted into the lower end of the body 10.

'lhe portion 20 of the bottom piece that projects above an annular shoulder 7), which defines the cxtentof the cylindrical wall 20, is rendered coniform and exactly conforms in shape with the concavity n in the plungerblock 18, so that the latter may have intimate contact with the upper side of the bottom piece. l Centrally in the coniform top portion 2Oa of the bottom piece an aperture is formed, that may taper slightly from the lower end upwardly, this aperture being fitted with a cork 21, formed of material that may be punctured readily. In the periphery of the cylindrical lower portion 2O of the bottom piece a channel /1' is formed, and in the inner surface of the bottle-body 10 a similar channel is produced, these channels being disposed opposite each other, and in the continuous passage s, formed by the joined channels, an undulating' spring' 22 is introduced. The spring 22 is adapted for reduction in diameter by compression and is first placed in the channel formed in the cylindrical portion 2O of the bottom piece and then contracted by the slidable insertion of the bottom piece within the bottle body, said spring' being adapted to resume original form when the two channels register, and thus effect a positive locking of the bottom piece in the lower portion of the body 10, due to contact of the edges of the undulating plate-spring 22 upon the parallel side walls of the registering channels wherein the spring is held. The bottom piece is lightened by eupping its lower surface, and, as shown, the cork 21 is exposed at its lower end.

Before the insertion of the bottom pieces 20 20L the peripheral surface of the portion 2O may be coated with a suitable cement, that is adapted to become rigid and effecta hermetic closure of the joint between the bottle-body and the bottom piece.

rl`he bottle-sealing device that occupies the neck 11 is not inserted until the bottlefis filled, it being' understood that the plungerblock 18 is fully depressed before the bottle receives the liquid it is to hold as an original package.

Upon the insertion of the thirnble 13, the

ring 13, coniforln valve 14E, spring 15, andv sealing-plug 16, as hereinbefore described, the locking-dog 17 by its interlocking engagement with the shoulder f will positively secure the plug in position, and the valve 14 will be held upon its seat by the spring 15, so as to prevent escape of liquid from the bottle without regard to the position given thereto. v

To remove a portion or the entire contents of the bottle-body 10 therefrom, pressure must be applied upon the lower side of the plunger-block 18, which is preferably effected in the following manner: A support for the bottle in an inverted condition is provided, which may consist of a light metal frame comprising two rings 23 211, held spaced apart by upright members 25,the rings being mounted upon a plurality of legs 26, that have sufficient height to afford room below the lower ring to permit a free introduction below said ring of a glass vessel B, that may he a tumbler, as shown in Fig. 2. A pusher-rod 27, having a handle 28 on one end, is furnished to eifect pressure on the plung'er-block 18 when the bottle-body 10 is seated with its neck downward in the rings of the supportingframe, and said rod may have a screw-thread formed on it whereon the gage-nut 27a may be secured. Assuming that the cork Alias been removed and that the filled and sealed bottle is to be broached for removal of apor- TOO IIO

tion of its liquid contents, the bottle-body is placed in the supporting-frame, that has been described, and said frame is placed upon a stable support. Then the end of the pusher-rod 27 is pushed vertically down through the cork 21 and seated in the socket-perforation 0, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Pressure is now applied upon the handle 28 of the pusher-rod 27, so as to press the plunger-block 18 down, which will unseat the valve 14 by the compression of the spring 15, and thus open a passage for liquid from the bottle through the channels /t in the sealing-plug 16. After a proper amount of the liquid has been forcibly expelled from the bottle by pressure on the plunger-block 18, which is determined by the position given to the gage-nut 27a, the bottle may be removed from the frame and turned into normal position, and it will be seen that the amount of liquid removed from the bottle will be clearly indicated by the position'of the plunger-block therein, as the latter is fitted tight enough to hold it where it is pushed and support the Weight of the liquid remaining in the bottle.

It will be apparent that when all of the liquid has been removed from the bottle by pressure applied upon the plunger-block 18 said block will have contact with the top wall 10L and it is an impossibility to return it to the bottom of the bottle, as well as to introduce any liquid into the body of the bottle between the plunger-block and the neck l1, the bottle being practically worthless as a liquidpackage. It is possible, however, to reuse the several parts of the bottle, except the body thereof, by breaking the latter, so as to permit the other parts to be removed, these details being available for service in connection with a new bottle-body and may be applied thereto as has been described to convert the new bottle-body into a receptacle for liquid to be removed therefrom, as hereinbefore explained.

A threaded nipple 12 may be formed on the lower concave side of the bottom piece 2O around the opening' that receives the cork 21, this nipple being adapted for the connection of a tube or end of flexible hose (not shown) that may extend from a source of air under pressure, -which means may be employed, if preferred, to force the plunger-block 18 toward the discharging end of the bottle to expel a desired amount of the liquid contents from the bottle. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A non-rellable bottle, comprising a cylindrical body, a neck on one end of said body, non-removable means adapted to seal the neck after the bottle is illed, a plunger-block slidable in the body, a sealable bottom piece inserted in the body below the plunger-block, and means for pressing upon the plungerblock that is slidable through the bottom piece.

2. A non-retillable bottle, comprising a cylindrical hollow body open at each end, aneck on one end of said body, a thimble held liquidtig'ht in the bottle-neck near the junction of said neck with the top wall of the bottle, a spring-pressed coniform valve engaging the seat in the thimble, a channeled sealing-plug pressing the thimble and the spring that presses the valve, means to positively secure the plug in the bottle-neck after the bottle is iilled, a plunger-block having a joint-ring on its periphery that works liquid-tight against the inner surface of the body, a bottom piece for the body secured liquid-tight therein, said bottom piece having a central aperture for the reception of a cork, and a presser-rod that may be inserted through the cork and press upon the plunger-block.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE Gr. ROSS Witnesses:

J. BowMAN, PETRUS PEARsoN. 

